Rio Ferdinand jokingly accuses Steve McManaman of aiming a dig at Man United ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid

Rio Ferdinand accused Steve McManaman of poking a fan at his former side Manchester United ahead of Liverpool’s mouth-watering Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

The Reds will be looking to continue their perfect start to the Champions League under Arne Slot, having won all four of their games in the competition this season ahead of their clash with Los Blancos.

Real come in as the reigning champions, but under Slot they face a side who have made a fantastic start to the season on all fronts.

Their first three and a bit months in the Slot era have been so impressive that McManaman, who played for Liverpool from 1990 to 1999, revealed he was surprised by how strong his former side have been so far. .

“I thought it would be seamless (Liverpool’s transition),” McManaman admitted. ‘I didn’t expect the results to go so well.

‘We expected a setback every now and then, the fact that this has only happened to Nottingham Forest and Arsenal is very surprising.

Ferdinand joked that McManaman ‘had a joke at Man United’ after the former Liverpool star’s comments

The Reds welcomed historic rival Real Madrid to Anfield in the Champions League on Wednesday

‘They have been dominant in the league and have been fortunate that other clubs have dropped points. It was absolutely excellent.’

Ferdinand then interrupted, “What made you think it would be seamless?”

“I thought the sporting directors would bring in the type of manager that would suit the team,” McManaman continued.

‘They weren’t going to bring in a manager who would change the starting XI, change the way they play or change the formation.’

However, the former Manchester United centre-half felt he was sensing something of a joke from the Liverpool legend, with the two clubs sharing a storied rivalry throughout the history of English football.

As such, he responded, “Is that a dig?” Has he already fallen out with Man United? What are you doing?’

United recently brought in Ruben Amorim to replace Erik ten Hag as head coach, with the Portuguese boss favoring a 3-4-3 approach, which is very different to the 4-2-3-1 often seen under the Dutchman is seen.

McManaman continued, insisting that while the Reds had been competitive on several fronts under Jurgen Klopp, the transition to the new era at Anfield had been ‘seamless’.

Liverpool has made a great start under Arne Slot and is leading the Premier League title race after twelve games

Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford earlier this month, having already introduced his 3-4-3 system

‘Last year I always thought the team was excellent until April. They competed for all the trophies. So I didn’t expect them to collapse just because the manager is gone,” he continued.

‘If the manager leaves and someone comes in, you don’t automatically throw in the towel. As a professional you want to win every game and that is what Liverpool does.

‘I think it was always going to be seamless, but the level of results has surprised me from Liverpool. They were excellent.’

Liverpool have taken the lead in the title race in recent weeks and have now extended their lead to eight points over second-placed Manchester City, who are on a six-match winless streak in all competitions.

Meanwhile, United’s new era is just beginning, with Amorim taking charge of his first game on Sunday.

The Red Devils traveled to Portman Road to take on Ipswich Town where they were held to a 1-1 draw.